


The Many Lives of Byleth Eisner

by Ineia



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Divine Pulse Angst (Fire Emblem), Divine Pulse Deaths (Fire Emblem), F/M, Past Lives, Time Travel, claudeleth in every route?? maybe, explaining multiple playthroughs in canon via divine pulse, hey maybe watching your students die over and over would be a little traumatic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-20
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:20:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,851
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25390753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ineia/pseuds/Ineia
Summary: There was a distant look in her eyes, as if her mind was in another place… No, it was as if her mind was in another time.  He stood up a little straighter, as the idea struck him.  She had only mentioned that to him once, and yet he had seen its effects in the emotion hiding behind her eyes many times on the battlefield.  It seemed impossible, but Byleth was quite the impossible person.“My friend,” he said quietly, “how many times have we been here before?”The ability to turn back time is a powerful thing.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth & Claude von Riegan, My Unit | Byleth/Claude von Riegan
Comments: 31
Kudos: 253
Collections: Claudeleth Week 2020





	The Many Lives of Byleth Eisner

FILE 12

Verdant Wind

“Sleepless night, Teach?” Claude called. Byleth glanced behind her shoulder to see him walking over. “Usually, it’s you who finds me out here.”

Byleth was staring out at the night sky above Garreg Mach, arms resting against one of the stone walls. She should be asleep, but she wasn’t. Claude didn’t blame her, though. He hadn’t been able to sleep much either. As the war wore on, and they seemed closer and closer to victory, the risks in battle only grew greater. However, he was thankful to have Byleth at his side again after five years. He wouldn’t have gotten this far without her.

Byleth shook her head. “I couldn’t sleep. My head is too full of memories.”

“Memories?” Claude asked, leaning back against the wall. Byleth nodded but didn’t elaborate. Memories... With a piercing gaze, Claude interrogated her face for what that meant. Before the war? Before she became a professor? There was a distant look in her eyes, as if her mind was in another place… No, it was as if her mind was in another time. He stood up a little straighter, as the idea struck him. She had only mentioned that to him once, and yet he had seen its effects in the emotion hiding behind her eyes many times on the battlefield. It seemed impossible, but Byleth was quite the impossible person.

“My friend,” he said quietly, “how many times have we been here before?”

FILE 1

White Clouds, Golden Deer

Claude, despite his best efforts, rarely could observe anything beyond the calm face of the Professor. She was not entirely emotionless—there was often a quiet pride directed at her students as they grasped a new concept, the occasional raised eyebrow at the antics of the Deer, the steady tapping of her forefinger on her thigh when she was deep in thought.

That was, at least, until the Tower of Black Winds. There were a few close calls, but Byleth looked like her soul had been pulled out of her body when they returned to the monastery. Something rugged, something haunted in her face. She kept glancing at Lysithea, Sylvain, and Ignatz on the journey back as if they might disappear if she kept her eyes off them too long… Claude couldn’t pinpoint why those three seemed to have her attention. Only Ignatz had taken a truly horrific blow near the end of the battle, but a vulnerary had strengthened him more than enough to help shoot a few more arrows into the horrific monster that Miklan became before Hilda killed the creature with an astounding smash of her axe.

Instead of their usual debriefing post-mission, their teacher simply dismissed them for the evening when they arrived in the Golden Deer classroom, telling them to “Go rest” in a voice a little firmer and a little more tired than normal. Her back was turned to her students as she leaned over her desk at the front of the classroom, as if it was a tether to this world. Sylvain was the only one to immediately follow the order, and Claude didn’t blame him. The rest of the Golden Deer, though, the original non-recruited members of the house, lingered. Everyone had been pretty exhausted on the way home, and Claude didn’t think anyone picked up on how… unnerved their dear Professor seemed. But, now, everyone certainly was aware of how odd this was for Byleth. Leonie exchanged a concerned look with Ignatz, and Hilda quirked her mouth in displeasure. Raphael awkwardly scratched the back of his head, and Lysithea played with the ends of her hair.

“Professor, are you alright?” asked Lorenz, tilting his head and looking more puzzled than worried.

Byleth said nothing for a moment then turned around to her students. Her expression was  _ almost _ typical. It seemed calm, but there was a tension in Byleth’s entire body that made her visage stiff and cold, rather than steady and tranquil.

“I thought I was clear. Go get some rest. That was not a request of you but an instruction.”

Lorenz wilted a bit at the teacher’s tone. “Ah, yes. Of course, Professor…”

With a little hesitation, the Deer filed out of their classroom. Claude took a look back at the Professor, who had turned around to the back window again, her figure slightly silhouetted by the light from the setting sun shining through the panes. Why did she look like she had the weight of the world on her shoulders?

Claude decided he would find out. He broke off from his classmates near the dorms, saying he was going to check on the Professor, and the group seemed relieved.

“I’ve never seen the Professor like that,” Leonie said. “Make sure she’s okay.”

“It’s weird that she seemed so freaked out,” Hilda added. “I mean, we won pretty handily!”

“Do you think the whole… monster thing scared her?” Raphael asked.

“I don’t know, but we’ll see,” Claude said, turning back for the classrooms. There were murmured “good luck”s and “thanks, Claude” as he headed back to the Officers Academy. He meandered a bit on the way back, thinking it was better to give Byleth some time by herself before he confronted her.

Light was nearly gone by the time he arrived at the Golden Deer classroom again. Claude paused in the doorway when he didn’t immediately see the Professor at her desk. Stepping in, he turned around to see the Professor sitting on the right window sill at the front of the classroom, shrouded in cool blue light from the stained glass.

“Teach,” Claude greeted. Byleth turned to him limply. There was something so strange about her entire demeanor. She seemed gutted, and for what? A stranger turning into a monster outside of her control?

“Hello, Claude,” she replied, turning back to the window. “I see you aren’t getting rest.”

Claude sat on the other side of the sill, watching the Professor carefully. There wasn’t really room for two people to sit, but Byleth didn’t seem to mind that their legs were pressed together. Never before had he actually been so physically close to the Professor. On the battlefield, he was usually a ways from Byleth, firing off arrows from afar as she fought enemies in melee combat. In class, even when she instructed him one on one, he usually was standing two or three feet from her. An odd thought crossed his mind—had he ever touched their professor? He’d probably brushed past her in the training ground or dining hall. But, other than something incidental like that, she never had hugged him, given a high-five, put her hand on his shoulder, shoved him jokingly. Yes, she was their Professor, but she was around their age, too. Didn’t she want to, quite literally, reach out to them?

He could hardly count the amount of times Hilda had whacked his arm during class when he reached over and doodled on her notes, or how often Raphael had enveloped the other Deer in a giant hug after a successful day of training, or the awkward pats on the back from Lorenz when he was attempting to bond. Claude recalled seeing Hanneman give a clap on the shoulder and fervent handshakes to some of the Blue Lions during their training, and Manuela… well, she was very touchy feely. A result of her personality and healing profession, likely. It wasn’t like Teach was expected to keep back from students compared to her colleagues.

Byleth kept her distance, both literally and emotionally. It hadn’t really become a meaningful issue until now, when she was clearly upset but impossible to read. (He never had seen her smile either, despite his best efforts at charming her. Not so much as a quirk of her lips.)

Claude didn’t speak for a long time as they sat side by side, just observing and trying to get some inkling of what was troubling her. A few minutes passed in silence when Claude finally sighed.

“I want to understand what’s bothering you, but I just can’t figure it out.”

Byleth didn’t turn from the window.

“You can’t understand it,” she said simply.

“Could I at least try?” Claude insisted. “Nothing ever seems to faze you, but something definitely has. Let me bear some of that burden, Teach.”

Byleth actually frowned at that. “What kind of teacher unloads burdens onto their students?” It was Claude’s turn to frown. A valid point... Valid, but not unquestionable.

“A teacher who is also a friend,” he said softly. “Please. Tell me.”

Byleth waited a moment before turning to the green-eyed boy. Her face was completely solemn. Not the usual unbothered, blank disposition—no, this was something far darker, far more disturbed.

“You can never share this with anyone else. I know you like to scheme and wield information like a weapon, but this cannot leave this conversation. Swear it to me.”

“I swear,” Claude answered immediately, and he meant it. Byleth gazed into his eyes for a moment, as if to gauge his sincerity before continuing.

“I can turn back time,” said Byleth, her eyes still trained on Claude’s. “Not by long, not by much. But I can move back through time.”

Claude’s mouth dropped open. Of all the things he expected the Professor to tell him, that was beyond his wildest imaginings. “W-what? How?”

“I don’t know. It comes from a voice within me. I reach down, deep into myself, and everything goes back.” Byleth paused. “Today, I used it three times in our battle. More than I ever have before. Each time I used it was because someone... fell.”

Fell.  _ Died _ . It was interesting what words we use to comfort ourselves, Claude thought.

“Ignatz, Lysithea, Sylvain?” Claude suggested. Byleth’s brows furrowed.

“Was it that obvious?” she asked, “It was just hard not to keep my eyes on them after I almost lost them for good…”

“It wasn’t that obvious,” Claude said, “I don’t think anyone noticed who you were so focused on, except for me. But everyone saw you were rattled.”

Byleth leaned her head against the window. “It’s a power that I do not fully understand, yet it’s invaluable in combat. Invaluable mostly when I prove a disastrous tactician.”

“Hey, we won, Teach. We always win,” he said, though he was beginning to understand why those words meant less to her.

“We won after I corrected three fatal mistakes that I did not have the foresight to avoid the first time around. I’m no genius. I’m no legend. I have a way to undo my gravest errors that paints me to be a much finer warrior than I truly am.”

“Even if you are reversing your mistakes,” Claude replied, “that doesn’t make it any less impressive that you can, no matter how you do it, find a way to defeat our enemies without any casualties.”

Byleth shook her head and looked back out the window. “I cannot see it that way.”

Claude didn’t know what to say to that. He could hardly imagine the weight of such a power. Instead, he shifted the topic. “Have you told anyone else?”

“No.”

Claude felt a flicker of an inconvenient feeling in his chest that he smothered quickly. “Why did you tell me?”

“You wanted to know what was bothering me.”

“Okay, other than that.”

A pause. Byleth looked back to him.

“I trust you.”

That pesky feeling roared again, mixing with guilt. She trusted him. And she actually knew him. She knew he’d try to use her in schemes—he already had a few times—and she still trusted him… Maybe Claude really couldn’t understand her.

“You’re pretty incredible, you know that, Teach?” he said quietly with a sigh. Byleth said nothing in reply, yet for a moment he swore her eyes seemed to brighten at his words.

The pair gazed out the window for a long time, even as shreds of moonlight became the only source of any light. Claude didn’t remember falling asleep, but, when he woke, he was alone on the windowsill as daybreak illuminated the glass with the light of dawn, and the Professor’s cloak draped over him.

FILE 6

White Clouds, Blue Lions

“Teach, you do know I’m not in your house, right?” Claude said, sipping the Almyran pine tea she just poured for him. “And I’m not exactly someone like Lysithea, who you can convince to switch classes, either. Not that I don’t enjoy our little chats, mind you.”

Byleth looked at him flatly. “Is it not enough that I wish to be your friend, Claude?”

He smiled at her, but it didn’t reach his eyes. She said that as if it were that easy. “Of course. It’s more than enough. I just worry half of your class’s funds must go to our teatimes.” Byleth dismissed his concern with a shake of her head, and Claude shrugged. “Fine by me then. Good tea and even better company.”

Claude was certain if Dimitri knew that the Professor invited him to tea every week, he would be (rightfully) displeased that she was showing so much favor with his rival house leader. Particularly if Claude was correct in seeing the slight longing in Dimitri’s eyes as he gazed at Byleth. Now, Claude had a few theories as to why he was her apparent favorite student outside the Blue Lions, but only one really made sense. Byleth’s desire for his friendship was certainly real, but he wondered if, on some level, she regretted choosing Dimitri and not him.

And that longing look he saw in Dimitri’s gaze towards the Professor… Claude could have sworn, once or twice for a brief moment during tea when he made a joke, there was a similar yearning in Byleth’s expression directed at  _ him _ . However, the Golden Deer leader knew himself too well to think that he was a totally unbiased party in his observations. Though he’d never let his mask slip and show it, he cared a great deal for the Professor, in a way he’d be loath to admit. Maybe he saw Teach yearning for him because he wanted to see it, when the reality was he was pining for her and it made him feel better to imagine that his hopeless, distracting feelings were somehow reciprocated.

As the ball approached, Claude heard students whisper of the romance of inviting someone to the top of the goddess tower to confess one’s feelings. For about thirty seconds, he debated inviting Teach to the tower before realizing how inappropriate it would be on so many levels, and how unlikely it was she would agree to it. Instead, he invited her onto the dance floor during the ball, enjoying her soft smile and the slight color that spread across her cheeks as they danced. Claude tried to restrain himself, but when Byleth let out a quiet laugh as he spun her around—to the shock and disdain of most of the nobles on the dancefloor, except Hilda who let out a holler—he felt his cheeks warm up too. Their posture was wrong compared to Dimitri and Edelgard’s stiff arms and sharp turns, but Claude reveled in the giddy feeling of his hand near the small of her back and her fingers resting behind his shoulder, their hands clasped together as they spun and swayed and dipped. When the song came to an end, Byleth squeezed his hands and thanked him, a real smile on her face, before she was bombarded by other male students asking to dance with her. (Sylvain was particularly insistent.) She politely refused them all except Dedue, who mostly followed proper form except for a dip that Claude knew was a Duscur speciality. She then danced with Dimitri and other Blue Lions students; Ashe and Annette seemed particularly delighted to dance with the Professor.

Claude kept dancing with others, mostly Golden Deer students, girls and guys alike. He knew it was tradition not to dance with the same person twice, but, if he happened to spot Byleth again, he wouldn't be too opposed to breaking the regulations of the ball once again. Instead, he eventually noticed she seemed to have slipped away. With some careful maneuvering to avoid interested ladies and gentlemen, Claude wandered outside, freezing when he saw Byleth and Dimitri entering the Goddess Tower together. Oh. Of course.

He turned away from the Tower and headed to another section of the monastery, where he wouldn’t have to think about Byleth and Dimitri wishing for a future together with the Goddess’s blessing. He arrived at the plaza above the fish pond, where there was a nice, unobstructed view of the stars. It was times like this that he wanted to feel humbled, small in the face of the endless night sky. Let him vanish amongst the stars, let his inconvenient feelings become insignificant and tiny. He stood there for a long time before a familiar voice nearly made him jump out of his skin.

“Claude?”

“Teach?” (There she was. Blankly looking at him. Claude cursed his racing heart—this was not productive. She just came from the Goddess Tower with  _ someone else _ . There’s no point to this stupid crush.). “Finished with dancing for tonight, I take it? It is pretty overwhelming.”

“I took a break, and then decided I was done for the evening,” Byleth replied, coming to stand next to him. “But what are you doing?”

“Same as you. I don’t do well at parties.”

A slight, questioning tilt of Byleth’s head. “I don’t believe it.”

“See right through me like you always do, huh? I do mean it, though. Music and fun are all well and good, but those dances the nobles do are… something else. You saw the looks we got when we danced together in a much better style,” he said with a laugh. “Worth it, though Dimitri was looking at me like I had three heads.”

As he said Dimitri’s name, he saw Byleth turn her head slightly, almost embarrassed, maybe even guilty. Ah, Claude thought, that confirms it. They spoke in the Goddess Tower, probably shyly promised to stay by each other’s side forever. How sickeningly sweet.

Byleth still wasn’t looking at him when she spoke; she looked up to the stars. “Do you believe in the idea of different timelines?”

Claude stared at her. This was a strange question out of the blue. “Well, I haven’t really ever thought about it… That there’s timelines, alternate worlds, where things are changed?”

“Yes, exactly. I wonder…” Byleth said. “I wonder if there are timelines where I don’t become a Professor here.”

“Oh.” (Claude’s mind first jumped to a timeline where Byleth picked him instead of Dimitri, not where Byleth doesn’t come to the Monastery at all. Indicative of his priorities.)

“Maybe it would be better if I wasn’t your Professor. If my father and I just continued to be mercenaries.” Byleth had a tired, almost worried look in her gaze as she stared up, moonlight illuminating her face. Claude had no idea where this was coming from, on an otherwise happy evening. But he felt he had to try to console her.

“Teach, you know… We’re all really thankful you’re here.” He paused. He shouldn’t make this personal, but he might as well be honest. “ _ I’m _ really thankful you’re here. If you could feel a fraction of the happiness you’ve given your students, then I hope you’d banish any vision of a world without you at the monastery from your mind. It wouldn’t be better. It’d be so much worse.”

There was silence for a moment as she didn’t react, still captivated by the heavens above. At last, Byleth turned and gave him a small smile. “You have a good heart, Claude. No matter how you hide it.”

Claude smiled, a rare, genuine one. How she saw right through him indeed. “I can’t go around showing any weakness, Teach. Lorenz would jump me the first chance he got.”

She was staring at him, and there was a flicker of longing in her eyes—he wasn’t imagining that this time. He felt his smile fade into something sadder, and she looked away to the stars.

“Maybe there’s a lifetime where I chose the Golden Deer,” she said softly. She turned back to him with her forlorn eyes, hair blowing slightly in the breeze. “Maybe there’s a lifetime where we danced all night.”

Claude ignored the pangs in his heart and mustered up his best cheery face. “Well, we can’t change your house now, but who says we can’t keep dancing?” He offered her a hand, and Byleth’s face lit up as she took it. They danced and danced until they were silhouettes swaying in the light of sunrise.

FILE 4

White Clouds, Golden Deer

“Teach—”

“Now’s not a good time, Claude,” Byleth said, already walking past him in the garden. “I’m meeting Petra for tea in a few minutes.”

“That’s actually what I wanted to talk about,” Claude said with a sigh, grabbing her arm. She stopped, turning to him curtly.

“You want to talk about Petra?”

“No. I want to talk about the fact it seems like you’re trying to recruit… well, just about everyone to the Golden Deer.”

Byleth nodded. “Yes. That is what I’m doing.”

Claude shook his head. “Look, I’m happy to promote our house and perhaps build up some goodwill for the Alliance, but aren’t you concerned you won’t have time to properly instruct everyone?”

“My primary focus will be the original Golden Deer students. I don’t think I’ll be using too many of our new recruits in battle. Obviously, Sylvain has been with us since the beginning, and Felix has been a good addition to our class for several months now… but the new students will be in our House, no matter their usefulness in battle. Having them in my class is what really counts.”

“Counts for what? I don’t understand the advantage of having so many students if you aren’t even going to deploy them,” Claude said, his voice rising slightly. “It’s a waste of time.”

At the clear anger beneath his voice, he saw a harshness fall over Byleth’s face.

“A waste of time?” she said coolly. “Thank you for the input. Without your wisdom, I wouldn’t know how to run my class.”

“I’m not trying to pick a fight, Teach,” Claude said, keeping his voice even now. He did not want to get into a shouting match next to the Officers Academy for several reasons but primarily so no one would notice their argument. Students milled about all the time. “But when’s the last time you had tea with a member of your own class? Or shared a meal with some of us? It’s been months.”

“Once I’ve recruited all the students I wish to recruit, then I promise I’ll invite you to tea every week. But, until then, let me do what I need to do.”

Byleth walked away without another word, leaving Claude feeling not just disappointed but lost. Obviously, he adored the Professor, along with the rest of the Golden Deer students. Even though she didn’t eat with them much, she taught them dutifully each week and had plenty of lovely moments with members of the class. He enjoyed the chats he’d shared with her… talking about her past, showing off his poisons, wondering about the existence of gods. But they seemed few and far between.

Internally, he wondered if his preoccupation with the Professor’s recruitment efforts was based not in honest concern for the quality of Golden Deer education but rather a kernel of jealousy. When it boiled down to a most basic level—did he just want to spend more time with Byleth? Yes. Absolutely yes. He still thought this obsession with getting others to join her class was odd, and that it was truly detrimental to class motivation and training, but she would do what she wanted anyways.

Petra joined the Golden Deer before the week was through, and, when Byleth recruited Ferdinand a couple weeks later, she had snatched up her final student. Claude was impressed that the Professor had managed to recruit everyone she wanted—twelve of the most notable students from the Black Eagles and Blue Lions. It spoke to Byleth’s character that students from all walks of life were easily drawn to her.

And, true to her word, she invited him to tea first thing on her free day.

“Are you satisfied with our class now?” Claude teased, sipping at his Chamomile tea. “Is twenty students enough for you to keep busy?”

Byleth gave him an irked look at the jab. “Plenty. They will be reliable allies.”

“Yes, you’re right about that. You’ve got a way about you, you know, Teach? People want to follow you to the ends of the Earth.”

Byleth rested her hand on her chin. “I wouldn’t say that.”

“Just you wait. I’m sure having a legion of loyal students will pay off one day,” Claude replied with a wink.

Something intense flashed across Byleth’s face—a visceral reaction to his words. What wound in her heart could he possibly have reopened with such an innocuous comment? It was gone in an instant, but Claude’s eyes widened.

“Teach? Are you alright? Your face—”

“I’m fine,” she said quickly. “Can we talk about something else? Have you read any books recently? Found any volumes in the library relating to your research about crests?”

Claude decided to not to press any further and happily told her about some of the books he’d found in the last week with rare illustrations of relics. But he didn’t forget that flash of horror on her face. He’d seen similar looks before but with different feelings—recognition, longing, regret, loss, but never raw fear and trauma. It was an emotion coming from a very deep place shining through for just a moment every time this happened… and it remained unclear to Claude where all these feelings came from.

If he ever figured it out, he’d probably understand the Professor better than anyone. Until then, he’d drink tea and observe, and so he did.

FILE 1

Verdant Wind

Shortly after Claude turned sixty, Byleth brought it up as they laid next to each other in bed one evening, in that quiet haze before sleep took over.

“I’ve stopped aging.”

Claude opened his eyes to glance at his wife. Her face was more youthful than his. Far fewer lines. No streaks of grey in her hair. She did really look the same as she had, say, fifteen years ago.

“Are you certain?” he asked her, reaching over and caressing her cheek. She leaned into his hand with a sigh.

“I’ve spoken with Seteth and Flayn. They’re in the same boat. We can be killed, struck down, but we won’t die otherwise.”

He didn’t say anything for a while, just watching her with a thoughtful gaze. Her face was surprisingly calm, but he could see anxiety lurking behind her green eyes. Moving closer, he took her into her arms, and he could feel some of the tension release from her body at his touch.

“Are you afraid, my love?” he whispered.

“Afraid?”

“Of living forever.”

A pause. She held him a little tighter. “Yes.”

They laid there together for hours, and Byleth had just fallen asleep when Claude whispered.

“You’ll figure it out. Somehow.”

FILE 6

Azure Moon

When he heard from his spies that the Professor returned after five years missing, Claude’s joy that Byleth was alive and well was tempered by the knowledge that, regardless of his hopes to ally with Dimitri’s forces, they could be facing off as enemies next time they saw each other. Still, he was ready to fight her, to possibly kill her, if she and Dimitri attacked the Leicester Alliance during the battle at Gronder Field. He would hope the Professor would avoid unnecessary conflict if possible—she couldn’t  _ want _ to kill her students, even the Imperials—but he had no such hopes for Dimitri. If his intel was correct, and it should be, Dimitri was truly lost. To kill Edelgard, he would strike down anyone in his way, and, despite sharing a common goal, Claude and the Leicester Alliance were no exception.

As the Leicester forces gathered, ready to fight, Leonie let out a gasp as she spotted the Professor standing alongside Dimitri across the river.

“She really is alive…” she said, mouth agape. “And she hasn’t aged a day!”

“Bizarre...” Ignatz added. “I wonder if she’s gotten stronger since we last fought her.”

Claude wanted to reply with a quip, but his breath was still caught in his throat at the sight of their former teacher and friend. The crush he had as a schoolboy had been long buried, but he felt it blossoming into an intense regret in his chest as he saw Byleth—Byleth who always invited him to tea, who danced with him like no one was watching, who looked up at the stars by his side and spoke of other lifetimes. Yet he ordered his army forward, as Dimitri shouted for blood and Edelgard reflected on the last time they fought here.

The battle was strange and ended very quickly.

Mercedes cast Stride on most of the Blue Lions to begin, and Byleth sprinted in the direction of the Golden Deer. Claude found that somewhat odd, as he’d have no choice but to attack her if she got in their way of reaching the Empire’s forces. Annette followed Byleth, dancing around her and reinvigorating with energy, just as she seemed to have run out of breath. Lysithea then ran to Byleth’s side, a slightly guilty look on her face, casting Warp and sending her…. not far from Claude. She charged at him, and, with a cry of “No hesitation!”, he had fallen off his wyvern and her blade was hovering above his neck. Soldiers around him had no time to react, nervously aiming their bows and pointing their swords at the Professor only after she had defeated the young Alliance leader.

She spoke quietly and rapidly: “Surrender. Take your army and go.”

“T-Teach…” Claude stammered, slightly in shock from how quickly that all happened.

“Go, Claude,” Byleth repeated, then dropping her voice to a whisper. “He will kill you if you don’t.”

He nodded, and Byleth drew back. Claude ordered a retreat of a bewildered Alliance army, but, having seen their leader almost killed in one fell swoop, their bafflement was matched by their relief.

Claude watched with Hilda from a safe distance as Dimitri’s forces closed in on Edelgard, who narrowly made her escape. As the battle concluded, Hilda turned to Claude, her face still perplexed by the surreal battle experience.

“I can’t believe the Professor did that. If she had been even a moment slower...” the young woman trailed off. “Well, I can’t imagine what the soldiers would have done to her.”

“She wanted to spare us,” Claude said, shaking his head in disbelief. “Having us retreat was the only way to prevent Dimitri from destroying us in her mind. And the only way for us to retreat was to almost kill me.”

Hilda watched him with observant eyes. “You know, I always thought you had a thing for the Professor back in the day.”

Claude did not let the true character of his heart show on his face. “Ha. Really?”

Hilda shrugged. “I mean, it was obvious Dimitri liked her back then, and I know they went to the Goddess Tower together the night of the ball. Who knows about now… But she definitely had a soft spot for you, too, if the amount of tea you two had is any indicator. I was pretty sure you reciprocated.”

“We were close, then,” Claude admitted, “but never anything more than friends.” Hilda stared at him, clearly unbelieving. Other than Byleth, Hilda was the only one who could see when he was hiding something.

“Shame,” Hilda said with a sigh, sounding somewhere between annoyed and sincere. “You would have been cute together.”

It was such a silly comment to make as they gazed over a burning battlefield, but it still poked at Claude’s heart. Maybe there’s a lifetime where she chose the Golden Deer, where she fought alongside him in this war, where they had a future together.

Claude turned from the view of Gronder and headed back towards their encampment, Hilda following. There was no time to waste on maybes; they had a war to win.

FILE 4

Verdant Wind

When standing over Gronder Field with the Professor at his side, Claude realized he knew none of the opposing generals personally other than Dedue and Dimitri on the Kingdom side and Edelgard and Hubert on the Empire side. The last time they battled here, there were other familiar faces alongside the house leaders. Now, all those faces were somewhere in the Alliance army behind him.

Claude couldn’t manage a smirk, but he did give a pleased look to the Professor. “Teach, I’m certainly glad you managed to get so many students to join our house back in the day. I’d have to imagine we’d be facing off against them here otherwise.”

Byleth doesn’t look at him or react, but her face was relieved, satisfied. His eyes caught on that look… Satisfaction. How?

Did she know? All those years ago, when she recruited students like her life depended on it, did she know that her life and their lives very well would depend on everyone being on the same side? Was that possible? She had told him long ago after their mission at the Tower of Black Winds that she could go back in time, not forward through it.

Claude opened his mouth to ask her if she knew in advance that the original Battle of the Eagle and Lion was only a precursor for that was to come, that recruiting students meant they would not be enemies here—but Dimitri shouted for the dead to receive their tribute and marched his troops forward. Claude did the same, Byleth beside him as they descended to the battlefield.

By the time they won, Edelgard retreating and Dimitri furiously chasing after her, Claude had decided it was better not to question the Professor about it. There were some things Claude didn’t wish to know, and the tragedies of the future were one of them. The future was his to build, with her at his side. No fear could hold back his ambition for a unified, hateless world.

FILE 1

Verdant Wind

He knew he was near the end. Ninety three years was a long time, and, when he’d taken ill at the start of the week, he was worried much less for himself than for Byleth. His death would cause her far more pain than it would cause him. She stayed by his side when he was put on bedrest, and, when there weren’t healers nervously working on him, they just talked like nothing particularly unusual was happening.

Claude was resting, not quite asleep but nearly there, when he heard Byleth exhale.

“What am I going to do without you…” she whispered.

Claude opened an eye. “I think you’ll be fine.”

She raised an amused brow at him, though the sadness of her whispered question was still all over her face. “I can only hope. I’m going to miss you terribly.”

“We’ll meet again, you know,” Claude said. “Somehow.”

“Where, my love?” Byleth whispered. Unspoken in her words, Claude could sense her wish for it to be that easy:  _ Tell me where, and I will find you. _

“The better question is when,” Claude answered with a twinkle in his eye. “Of course, that’s for you to decide.”

FILE 7

Azure Moon

_ Dear Claude: _

_ The volatile situation you described in the Kalhu region is concerning, though it’s not very surprising your new reforms would garner resistance from some parts of Almyra. I think the plan you’ve made is the best way to appease the old commander stirring up trouble. Be sure to show deference to the members of your retinue who actually are from the area as well as the generals you trust who know this agitator. Remember, I can always tell my brother to ride across the border to help you out! I will do it if you ask! (And he will do it if  _ I _ ask.) Or, if you need an extra wyvern rider who is fantastic with an axe and unquestionably loyal to you… I can be there in four days time if I don’t stop flying. Marianne would come along too. Just say the word. _

_ The artisan’s academy also greatly appreciates the donation from the King of Almyra! The students were a bit starstruck when I told them our latest donation came from not just the sovereign ruler of our Eastern neighbors, but a personal friend. If you’re ever, say, passing through our area, please stop by—just so my students will be so starstruck they never complain about doing needlework again. (And, yes, feel free to point out the hypocrisy in me being annoyed with students not doing their work. I am getting a taste of my own medicine from our days at Garreg Mach.) _

_ Speaking of coming to Fódlan, I know I said a few letters ago I expected that, once Dimitri proposed to Byleth, we would get to get you back in Fódlan again for a royal wedding, but I got a letter from Sylvain saying that Dimitri has no intention of proposing to Byleth… and that Byleth would have no intention of accepting if he did! Which is bizarre. I’ve told you this before, but the Professor and Dimitri were completely in sync at the end of the war and after. When I went to the capital to help advise on how to best transition the rule of the Alliance to the new order, I was certain those two had it bad for each other. I guess I read the whole thing wrong! Byleth has always been a bit mysterious with her emotions—you were far better at puzzling her out than I was—and I never knew Dimitri all that well. He spent most of his time with Dedue or the other Blue Lions when we were students. I only probably spoke to the guy a couple times one-on-one. (I did manage to get him to carry some axes for me once. So, at least, I knew how to manipulate him back then?) The point is, you’ll need to find a different excuse to come to Fódlan if you do decide to grace us with your presence anytime in the near future. I know our class misses you, and I’m sure the Professor and Dimitri do too. Sylvain even does, from his letters. I didn’t know you guys used to hang out? But I shouldn’t be too surprised that the ever-secretive Claude had friendships I didn’t know about. Claude, or Khalid if you prefer. You never told us, or at least me, to switch to that name but I have some Almyran students who referred to you as King Khalid when I was talking about the King of Almyra giving us a donation, and it got me thinking about it. _

_ Well, I’m getting off topic and long-winded, but our letters seem to have a trend of doing that, don’t they? Do visit, old friend. _

_ Love, _

_ Hilda _

_ Dear Claude: _

_ Great news about stopping that rebellious general! Never underestimate the power of an inspirational speech and a well-timed interruption from a child. I am pleased and not surprised your scheme worked. I read Marianne your last letter and she wondered if you had a poison as a backup. I said you almost certainly did, and she laughed. We often laugh at sections of your letters—highlights from your last letter include your recounting of Nader’s wyvern joke, the Byleth spoon metaphor, and literally the entire section on Sylvain. Now, onto the real news... _

_ This next part is  _ HIGHLY CONFIDENTIAL. _ You probably know that and are reading this by yourself, since I sent this by a personal messenger and not the usual mail. If you have any advisors around, any nosy servants, any companions for the evenings—whoever—make them leave. _

_ I have a rather large update on the Dimitri-Byleth situation, from Sylvain, who heard it from Felix, who heard it from Ingrid, who is serving in the palace. The reason Dimitri and Byleth aren’t an item? Dimitri is already with someone… and that someone is Dedue! Now, I must say, I found Dedue to be one of the handsomest boys at the Academy. It appears the King of Faerghus shared my opinion. Dedue was so hesitant to talk to any of the girls, but, goodness, he was gorgeous, and, of course, so loyal and faithful to Dimitri. There is always a special bond between vassal and Lord, and it seems theirs was the most special of all. (I liked being your unofficial vassal well enough for a while there, but don’t expect any kisses.) The relationship is not public since the situation with Duscur and Faerghus remains incredibly fraught, and who knows how leaders on both sides would react to such a pairing. However, they have disclosed it to close friends, who were given discretion to tell a slightly wider circle of old friends from Garreg Mach. You and I get to be included in the second round of old friends. Byleth has known longest about the two of them, and she apparently is delighted. _

_ I’m sure you’ll be happy Dimitri found some real love and joy after everything he's been through, but you’re too smart to think I only write to spread some gossip. Or that I write  _ primarily _ to spread gossip. I am a woman with many goals, one is to gossip and another more important one is to encourage your happiness, Claude. _

_ You can’t lie to me—in person or over letter. You have always cared for the Professor as far more than a friend. I have never forced the point until now because it didn’t seem like you had a chance before, frankly. However, she is not with Dimitri, and, it would seem, she hasn’t considered him in a romantic light in a long time. Love and happiness are not always easy for someone in your position, but if you don’t shoot your shot soon, you may regret it for the rest of your life. Thankfully, you tend to have good aim, and even better instincts. _

_ If you go to Byleth to tell her how you feel, to tell her how you’ve felt for all the years, I have only one request. Please stop by the Artisan Academy when you head back to Almyra. In the unlikely event that the Professor doesn’t express that she’s felt the same way about you for years, Marianne and I will offer you comfort and plenty of food from the culinary students. And if you, in all likelihood, are happy beyond belief, we will celebrate with you. _

_ Love, _

_ Hilda _

_ Dear Claude: _

_ Obviously, it was wonderful to see you. I only wish it had been in better circumstances. And I’m still sorry to have encouraged you—even though you told me not to apologize. I’ve been trying to figure out why the Professor said what she said. The “It’s not right,” “It wouldn’t work,” “Maybe if things were different”... And that she was so  _ firm _ in it. I know you were trying to figure out why she was like that, and Marianne and I have been thinking over it too, and something occurred to me yesterday. _

_ Do you remember fairly soon after the Professor came to the monastery, when Byleth asked me to assist her house on their next mission? It was the mission where their class fought Sylvain’s brother, who turned into a demonic beast. I never told you this, but the Professor was actually really shaken up by that battle. She looked… frustrated? But also disturbed. Now, it was quite horrific to see that monster transformation, but it didn’t even seem to be that. During the battle, there were several  _ very _ close calls. And I mean, hits that would have killed somebody if it had gone wrong. But, there were a couple key misses, a couple of lucky attacks, and it all worked out. Thing was, the Professor looked absolutely gutted at all those moments, even though things worked out well. It was super weird. I happened to be next to her during most of the fighting. She never asked me to assist the Blue Lions again, and I wondered on some level if it was because I saw her like that. _

_ I still don’t know if this is a wild theory, but I wondered if the Professor… saw into the future. Saw the possibility of what could happen if things went badly and was able to correct for it, and I truly believe she saw the deaths of her students that were narrowly avoided, somehow. It would explain the haunted look on her face. I thought this at the time, but it seemed too impossible. Then, the Professor’s hair changed color and she survived being ‘asleep’ for five years… Seemingly impossible. And in the Alliance’s last stand at Derdriu last year, I saw that pained look on her face after Dimitri almost got hit by an Imperial soldier with an axe that would have surely killed him. I wonder if, in one of her visions, it did. _

_ I’ve thought about it a lot since then, as you can likely tell by now. It’s a very you thing to do, observe and collect all this information in secret... thinking analytically and all that. Anyway, if this “future sight” theory, whatever we call it, is true, I wonder if she can use it in other contexts, including seeing her future with you. Perhaps, even if she hopes and feels otherwise, she could see that anything between you two wouldn’t work. _

_ Remember that night we got drunk before you left for Almyra? You mostly seemed to remember what we talked about the next morning, but, at the very end of the night, you talked about Byleth. A lot. (That conversation was part of the reason I felt okay pushing you to confess your feelings to her. I could tell how deeply you cared.) One of the weirder things you said was that you talked to Byleth about different timelines and lives on the night of the ball. And that you brought that conversation up to her in Derdriu. I remembered hearing you talk about if she had chosen you instead of Dimitri that day. It seemed like an odd thing for you to bring up, then, in the midst of our final defense. But it makes some more sense now. Maybe Byleth can see different futures. Maybe she knows what the world would be like if she chose you, Claude. And maybe she knows what the world would be if she tried to have a relationship with you now, when she chose Dimitri and his class all those years ago. _

_ There have to be limits to her future seeing, I’m sure, and things she can’t change—no matter how hard she tries. I have to imagine Captain Jeralt’s death would be one, and even the war itself. One of those fate things could be that she can’t be with you in this life. If things were different, if she led our class rather than the Blue Lions… fate might have been kinder to you two. _

_ I’m debating sending you this, to be honest. Reading back over it, I might be obsessing over nothing. The Professor might just have visceral expressions in combat! She might just spend a lot of time wandering about different lives and choices! She is extremely mysterious and unusual! Who knows? And even if I’m right, I doubt this provides much comfort. “You aren’t fated to be together and Byleth knew that” isn’t much of a consolation. All the same, dear old friend, perhaps this will give you clarity if not solace. _

_ Love, _

_ Hilda _

FILE 1

Verdant Wind

The albino wyvern saw Byleth coming and let out a pleased growl. Her master was long gone, gone for centuries now, but his chosen companion remained a regular visitor, visiting perhaps once or twice a month. Byleth brought no food—she dared not disrespect the wyvern’s hunting skills with such an action—she offered only friendship. Often, Byleth climbed onto the creature’s back to take her out into the sky, letting her soar and stretch her wings for more than just seeking out small prey.

The wyvern did not know how her master’s partner had survived so long when so many other humans like her had died. The elderly beast had always been able to sense a difference with Byleth compared to her master, something in her smell and the energy that circled around her, but she did not understand why these allowed this woman to live when her master had passed. Nonetheless, the wyvern was grateful that there was a being as old as her who she could call friend.

Byleth walked up to her side, holding out her hand. The wyvern immediately nuzzled it with her snout before nuzzling her entire body. Smiles and laughter burst from Byleth at the affection.

“Are you very happy to see me today? I’m very happy to see you.” Byleth climbed onto her back after rubbing her scales fondly and sliding on a simple bridle. “Today’s an important day. We’re going to have to fly very far.”

Shooting up into the air, Byleth grasped the reins as the wyvern soared and dived in the air. After warming up, Byleth managed to guide her flying steed in the proper direction.

“Be swift. It’s an important day. Cl—Khalid, your master—he passed two hundred years ago today. And I met him nearly three centuries ago tomorrow. I must get to the place where we first met.”

Had her master truly been gone so long? It was not only him. The daughter of the master and Byleth, and their daughter’s children, who had played with the wyvern many, many years ago… they were all gone as well. Most wyverns who did not fall in battle outlived their masters, but it seemed very few humans outlived those around them that they called family. Byleth was unusual that way. There was a sadness in her eyes, a weight that the beast knew came from having seen so many pass around her while she survived.

The wyvern heeded her command and sped as fast as she could in the direction Byleth instructed. They flew all night, and it was evening the following day when the wyvern finally arrived outside a small village in an empty field. Her rider descended from her back and wandered around the grass for a long time, before she stopped dead in her tracks.

“It’s so different looking now, but this is it. This is where I used it for the first time.”

Byleth closed her eyes, holding her hand out in front of her and moving it like she was swinging a sword. The wyvern heard a voice she had heard a few times around her master’s companion. The creature did not hear it as she heard most things; she heard it in her mind, in her bones, in her soul. It was an ancient voice, though it sounded like a small girl. Now, it was chuckling.

“Oh? So that’s what you’re going to do.”

Byleth opened her eyes, and the wyvern stepped back as godly power surrounded the woman; it was like the voice but in corporeal form. A pulse of divine energy, and time whirled around Byleth. The beast felt the moment fading away, her body growing younger and being pulled back towards the East. For a split second before her memories of three centuries vanished, the wyvern saw the phantom image of her master, materializing not far from Byleth. He was so young again, so alive. It was the most wonderful thing the wyvern had seen in a long time. The wyvern could see her own delight reflected on Byleth’s face, who was also turning into a younger version of herself. Somehow, they would know all the joy of their lives and youth again. There could be nothing more beautiful.

As time whisked her away and stole her memories, the albino wyvern felt at peace.

FILE 2

White Clouds, Golden Deer

Claude couldn’t believe his eyes. The mercenary seemed to move in an instant, to know that that bandit would try to kill Edelgard. Incredible. When she turned to face Claude and Dimitri, her face was decidedly neutral, but her eyes… Her eyes were full of emotion. For a fleeting moment, he could see recognition, shock,  _ relief _ reflected in her blue irises. It was like she’d seen a ghost, but any fear caused by the sight was replaced with comfort. Before any of them could speak, the shouts of Alois from across the battlefield caught their attention. When Claude looked back to the mercenary, her eyes were blank. No expression, no feeling. It was the strangest thing Claude had ever seen. As the evening wore on and Claude never saw a smile or frown or slightest indication of that bizarre look in her eyes. He wondered if he had nearly imagined it in the intensity of the moment, and he would continue to wonder even when Byleth joined his house and began teaching him.

It was many moons later, as they faced off against a huge monster, that he realized he didn’t haculleniate that haunted yet heartened look. Claude was certain he was about to get the killing blow on a monster, firing two quick shots in succession, but the second arrow whizzed past the creature as it roared back its head. Before he quite knew that was happening, there was a huge gash in his side and he was thrown back into a pile of rubble.

He heard screams of horror from his allies and the monster’s final cry as things went dark and woozy. He wasn’t sure how much time passed when he saw the Professor over him, pulling him out of the rubble. A moment later, Marianne’s warm hands were healing him, but all he could look at is the Professor holding him steady. And her eyes…

“Teach,” he said, voice faint. “Why do… you look at me like that?”

Byleth was staring down at him, as if she was looking at someone else. Someone who she’d known for years and years, someone who she’d often held in her arms, someone she couldn’t stand the thought of losing. An intense love, fondness, fear—she was not looking at him like she had met him less than a year ago. What did it mean?

As soon as he spoke, the feelings all over Byleth’s face vanished in an instant. But Claude knew the emotions had been there, even if he did not comprehend where they came from. Even if it took him the rest of his time at the academy, he would find out.

FILE 12

Verdant Wind

“How many times have we been here before?” Byleth repeated softly, closing her eyes. “A good question. It blurs together, but I think this is my dozenth time living through this year.” She opened her eyes, gazing at Claude.

Claude didn’t say anything for a moment, mind still reeling a bit from this.

“Using your power, you’ve gone back in time to relive your life? Twelve times?”

“Yes. By the time I’m one hundred, I have enough power with my Divine Pulse to go back to the first time I used it, when I protected Edelgard from that bandit. I’ve tried to go back to a more specific point, but, when I’m going so far back, I lose precise control. It’s all or nothing, and I wind up at the beginning.”

“And you’ve done things differently every time?”

Byleth paused. “No. A lot of lifetimes were similar, but others were different. I choose you most of the time, but sometimes I lead the Blue Lions. I even led the Black Eagles twice. But some things always remain the same.”

“What stays the same?”

“My father’s death. The war. And something else.”

Byleth has gotten more expressive since she returned, though her face was relatively neutral now. But her eyes. Her eyes were shining. Claude’s heart raced. Then, she looked away.

“I can’t talk about this like we’re something more than we are right now, in this life,” she said at last.

Claude ignored the pounding of his heart and moved closer to Byleth. “Considering my guess is that it’s my feelings for you that don't change no matter what path you take...” His hand brushed her cheek, and he lowered his voice to a whisper. “Do I need to tell you I love you? That as soon as you disappeared, I realized I trusted you more than anyone I’ve ever known, and that I’d loved you for the last months we had together before the war and didn’t even realize it? That when I saw you again in the Goddess Tower after so long, I fell even more in love?”

Byleth smiled, and leaned into his touch. “Well, it’s actually my feelings that never change. I love you, in every timeline, in every way. You’re always my friend, no matter what happens. You don’t quite tell me you love me when I lead the Black Eagles. When I lead the Blue Lions, you do. But unless I choose you from the start and lead the Deer, we can’t be together. We tried once, when I chose Dimitri initially, and we fell apart so beautifully. We didn’t hate each other by the end of it, but we were both miserable.”

“Why would you choose Dimitri in the first place?” Claude asked, before realizing how terrible that sounded aloud. “...Well, maybe that’s a self-centered question.”

Byleth smiled a little wistfully. “In all honesty, I probably never would have, except that I wanted to save him. His death was one of my biggest regrets. I tried again and again to, but, no matter what I did, Dimitri always dies when I pick the Golden Deer. I can manage to spare the rest of Blue Lions, but never him.”

“But, now, you chose me,” Claude said. “Dimitri is still gone.”

“Yes. Because, after living a dozen lives, you learn what you value most dearly. And what I value most dearly is our future, Claude. It makes me happier than you could possibly imagine. I’ve decided this is my last life. And I want to find joy. So I chose you. I chose us.”

Claude brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes. “Tell me about our future, Byleth.”

A tender expression danced across Byleth’s face at his request. She told him of the future. She told him of a united Fódlan, under her authority as the Ruler of Dawn. She told him of his future as the Almyran King of Unification. She told him how they ruled side by side, two independent kingdoms with intertwined fates and married leaders. She told him of their continued battle against the remnants of evil factions in Fódlan and the struggles against the far flung regions of Almyra hesitant to accept a King of Almyra with Fódlan’s blood running through his veins. She told him of their daughter, clever and ambitious as her father and wise and steadfast as her mother. She told him of their grandchildren, who he lived to see, of their great-grandchildren, who he did not. She told him of a world not free of hatred but a world no longer bound by it. She told him of a continent far, far in the future, where borders mean relatively little, where he and their daughter are legends, practically myths.

It was difficult to imagine that all of that could be real, could be theirs, but Claude heard the honesty and pride in the Professor’s voice. He inhaled at the mention of a daughter… they hadn’t even won the war yet, but Byleth spoke of the family they would create in tandem with a new world of their making.

“Why’d you go back in time in the first place? Why start over at all?” Claude asked. It sounded like a wonderful life. He couldn’t imagine giving that up, even to try to correct grave mistakes.

The Professor frowned. “I… I cannot die.”

“What?”

“I aged until I was around… forty, forty-five years old. Then, I remained the same. I found, after merging with the Goddess, I could not die from natural causes. Not age, not illness. Being struck down in battle is the only way I can be killed. So I lived. You died. Our daughter died. Our daughter’s children. Their children died, and then those children’s children were preparing to lead. I had been alive for centuries, and I decided I wanted to see you again.”

Byleth paused, and Claude’s chest ached. Byleth had been gone for five years, and every day he thought of her and longed for her return. He couldn't imagine living for  _ centuries _ without her, knowing she was truly gone.

“But I can't do it anymore. I can’t keep reliving my life. I know what I want, and I know where I’m happiest.” She took his hand and squeezed it. “I’ve found a way to relive my life a dozen times. I’m sure I can find a way to end the cycle, and perhaps I’ll meet you again one more time. Somewhere else beyond all of this where we can remain in a quiet eternity.”

Claude couldn’t take it anymore. He kissed her, as he had envisioned doing since he saw her for the first time in five years in the Goddess Tower, bathed in sunlight. She kissed him back, like it was the easiest thing in the world, like she had done it a thousand times before—she probably had. When their lips parted, Byleth gazed at him, looking apologetic. Claude’s eyes widened. He knew what that meant.

“Please, don’t,” he whispered. But there was nothing else he could do to stop her.

“I’m sorry. You just can’t know all this. I love you so much, and you’ll know that so soon. We’re almost there, Claude.”

She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, as a pulse of divine energy moved around them.

FILE 12

Verdant Wind

“Sleepless night, Teach?” Claude called. Byleth glanced behind her shoulder to see him walking over. “Usually, it’s you who finds me out here.”

Byleth was staring out at the night sky above Garreg Mach, arms resting against one of the stone walls. She should be asleep, but she wasn’t. Claude didn’t blame her, though. He hadn’t been able to sleep much either. As the war wore on, and they seemed closer and closer to victory, the risks in battle only grew greater. However, he was thankful to have Byleth at his side again after five years. He wouldn’t have gotten this far without her.

Byleth shook her head. “I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking about the future.”

“Future, huh?” Claude asked, leaning back against the wall.

Byleth nodded. “We’re close to the end of the war. Then it’ll be up to us to forge a new Fódlan from what’s left.”

Claude hummed in agreement. “Do you remember when we met in the Goddess Tower after the ball? We wished for our ambitions to come true. I’ve always wondered what yours was.”

The Professor chuckled faintly, almost like she was part of an inside joke. Interesting. “Oh, I remember.”

“Yeah? Well, then, tell me,” Claude prompted.

“It was more of a hope, really. It was just that, no matter what happened in the future, that I’d get to be by your side, Claude.”

Claude’s heart fluttered. “You really know how to make a guy feel special, Teach.”

“What about you? What did you wish for?”

“I wished for a lot of things… but I wanted to have you with me to achieve all of them.”

Byleth beamed. “I guess we wished for the same thing.”

Claude couldn’t help but grin too. “I guess so. That means it has to come true. The war will be over soon, too. Our vision for the future is close at hand.”

The Professor had a twinkle in her eye as she looked at him at that moment. He already knew that, once this war was over, he would be giving the ring sitting in his pocket to the right person, but he felt even more sure of his choice standing before her and the night sky like this.

Byleth glanced to the stars, eyes shining just as brilliantly as the constellations. She whispered into the night: “What a future it’ll be.”

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to my younger brother for beta reading this, his comments on my first draft were more entertaining than the fic itself, and thank you to my twitter claudeleth mutuals whose love of these two encouraged me to write this
> 
> if you like yelling about fire emblem, considering joining me on [ my twitter ](https://twitter.com/ladyineia)  
> 


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